Labour and Muslims

[chirpychirpy]

People protesting at the erection of an enormous mosque near Birmingham have claimed that the Labour governmment have been trying to turn Britain into a Muslim nation. To what extent do you think that is true? How different do you think this issue would have been, or indeed will be, under a Tory government? And do you think any party if they obtained power, aside from maybe the BNP, would attempt to reverse the situation by reducing the spread of Islam in the UK?

[123everton]

How do you stop people from becoming Muslims?
How do you stop people from gathering together legally?

[VHG]

It seems to me all the "main" parties are pretty soft on immigration.

They seem to think the fact they are voted in means people are FOR immigration, as voting for the main parties supports their policies.

The only way we are ever going to get anythijng done about immigration is to vote for one of the fringe parties, hoping it "scares" the main parties into doing something about it.

If UKIP or BNP goes a few seats that would certainly "scare" the main parties and prove the public were getting fed up with immigration.

A vote for Labour, Tory, Lib Den is just a vote to support those parties soft stance on immigration.

But I am afraid to say Labour or Tory will get in, UKIP and BNP will get no seats, and immigration will contine until most whites are strangers in their own cities (like I feel when I go into central Birmingham)..

[milliezoe]

Well VHG the only answer is to vote UKIP and not vote for tory labour or libdem that will make them see sense over immigration expenses etc !!!!!!!

[TCL-MUMPING]

What evidence is there that Labour is trying to turn the UK into a Muslim state? None that I can see.

"Immigration will contine until most whites are strangers in their own cities (like I feel when I go into central Birmingham)"

Does that mean if you are not white you must be an immigrant and if you are white that is a good sign that you are British?

[sp1814]

To what extent are Labour trying to turn Britain into a Muslim state? That would be 'to zero extent'.

In fact, it's not in Labour's best interests (in puely political terms) to increase the number of Muslim voters in the UK. From http://www.muslimnews...dex.php?article=4577:

[sp1814]

In 2004, an ICM poll for The Guardian found that voting intentions among British Muslims gave the Liberal Democrat 41 %, well ahead of Labour’s 32 % and the Conservatives’ 16 %. 

[sp1814]

With regards to the public's voting intentions - people would have to turn to the BNP/UKIP in huge numbers for any 'dent' to affect the main parties. Here's the thing...the vast majority of Brits are a) moderates who recognize that Britain has been a multicultural country for decades, b) more and more people have lived and worked side by side with immigrants, so to them, that's their 'normality' and c) they recognize that there are so many other factors which influences their votes.

If you vote BNP/UKIP, then you'd have to study their policies for economic growth, transport, the health service, business and personal tax structures, urban regeneration, further education etc etc.

The minor parties don't have the political synapses.

[Gromit]

The protest was in Dudley. The majority of the protestors were bused in from Portsmouth and Wales.

The mosque has been refused panning permission, but the EDL mob came anyway.

Immigration from the Indian sub-continent is not a Labour invention, it has been happening for 80 years. There are now over 1,000 mosques in the UK, that did not happen overnight, they have been building them for decades.

Which ever way you vote, immigration (and emigration) will continue.

[rov1200]

Immigration has been on the increase since Britain ended conscription. Could you imagine some of these immigrants fighting for Britain?

[fredpuli47]

Since conscription, rov? You mean when we had to force 'some' of the native British to fight for us because they'd never volunteer ? I dare say that 'some' of these immigrants have volunteered for the army now but if they were conscripted would go as grudgingly as some of the British did in the 1950s

[modeller]

To say that immigration has been going on for 80 years or decades are meaningless answers, you may just as well say it's been going on for centuries or millennia. Of course it has and it doesn't prove anything. The bulk of the immigration that has caused trouble in this country has taken place within the last 15 years. The fact that, that was under Labour is also irrelevant as the Tories are almost as bad.
The Lib/Dems would be even worse as they have more human rights and bleeding hearts supporters in their ranks.

[sp1814]

We don't HAVE to imagine immigrants fighting for this country. I've certainly seen Asian soldiers on tv...admittedly, it's only when certain royals refer to them as 'a ***'.

[jno]

we've certainly had Gurkhas firghting for Britain, though we seem reluctant to pay them for it. Thank heavens for Joanna Lumley.

[Gromit]

modeller
I did not say immigation had been happening for 80 years (that has happened for thousands of years) I said from the Indian sub-continent to this country, because the question was about Muslim immigration.

Compared with previous times, such as the Brixton, Toxteh and Handsworth riots, or BroDwater Farm, the last 15 years have not seen much trouble.

[Justincider]

Utter rubbish , trying to turn us into a Muslim state? Don't believe the hype, or maybe it's too late for you?

[sambro]

why would muslims vote tory anyway? in fact,why would anyone vote tory!!

[123everton]

we didn't have conscription in dominion and commonwealth states, Canada voted for it WW2 begrudgingly.
We do have lots of Poles (and others I presume) in the services at the moment so the point's mute.
What are the problems to which you refer?
As Gromit rightly points, in terms of problems they're nothing like the troubles of the early 80s.

[anotheoldgit]

The majority of Muslims come from Pakistan.

If Britain and America were to go to war with Pakistan, I wonder how we would cope with the Pakistanis in this country then?

Because it is a certainty that our Muslim British citizens would not side with us.

[tamborine]

there are lots of muslims arriving from EEurope......I have NEVER seen them in our local mosque. Our mosques are monopolised by asian moslems; also the muslim schools.